Richard yeilding



(No Model.)

R. YEILDING. APPARATUS FOR REDUCING METAL T0 POWDER.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1889.

[WVEATO am WHWESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD YEILDING, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK GENTI'IER, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING METAL TO POWDER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,622, dated December 1'7, 1889.

Application filed October 17, 1889. Serial No. 327,357. (No model.)

metal or metallic powder; and I hereby de-- clare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for reducing fusible metals and their alloys and amalgams to powder, and in the process by which the reduction to powder is effected, and in the product produced by the process.

The objects of my invention are to provide a furnace with a movable firepot or grate so arranged that the fire may be moved to or from the melting-pan containing the metal to be operated upon; to provide a pan to contain the melted and fluid metal to be operated upon and heated by the furnace below, with the revolving shaft carrying the lifting-plates, and the grinding-shoes revolving in the pan heated by the furnace, and the machinery for driving and lifting the shaft and the liftingplates, and the crushing or grinding shoes, and the air-tight case .or cylinder to inclose the operating-chamber and'the furnace; to enable me to carry out the process of reducing the fusible metals, their alloys, and amalgams to powder, while rendered fluid and retained in a semi-fluid state by heat, by breaking and grinding such metal, while in such semi-fluid state and while the quality of cohesion in the metal is destroyed or held in abeyance by heat, to powder, and a metallic powder which can be used for many purposes, according to the metal from which it is produced; and it consists of the air-tight cylinder or case containing the fire-pot or grate, the pan for holding the metal to be reduced,

and the machinery for reducing the metal to powder, with the proper air-passages through it to admit air to the fire and to allow the products of combustion to escape from the firepot section and having the necessary doors to the fire-pot section and operating-chamber, and perforations to allow of the passage of the several shafts and rods necessary to connect the machinery within the case or cylinder to the moving or operating parts on the outside of the case; of the movable fire-pot whereby the heat under the melting or operating pan can be increased or decreased, as rendered necessary by the metal or process; of the means to raise and lower the fire-pot outside of'the cylinder; of the melting-pan above the fire to contain the metal to be acted upon; of the revolving shaft carrying the lifting-plates and the crushing or grinding shoes, which move in contact with the surface of the pan and alternately lift and crush the metal in the pan; of the means outside of the cylinder to operate the shaft bearing the lifting-plates and grinding-shoes, both to rotate or lift the same when desired; in the new and peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, as hereinafter more specifically described; of the process of reducing the fusible metals to powder when fused or rendered liquid by heat and retained in a heated and semi-fluid condition until reduced to powder by breaking and grinding, and of the metallic powder produced by breaking and grinding the metal while in a heated state.

It is to be premised that as the reduction of the fusible metals and their alloys and amalgams to powder is effected while they are in a fluid or semi-fluid state, it is necessary that the pans in which they are fused and retained in a semi-fluid condition whilebeing operated upon, and the machinery by which the reduction is made, should be made of a metal which will bear a far higher degree of heat than the metal to be reduced. The device I have used for this purpose is constructed of steel and fire-brick.

Figure 1 is a sectional view through the center of my device, looking to the front. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the lower part of the cylinder broken away. Fig. 3 is a view of the shaft with the lifting-plate and crushing-shoe detached from the cylinder. Fig. 4: is a vertical accompanied by a horizontal section through the shaft and the spurwheel, showing the groove in the shaft and the key in the wheel.

In the drawings, A represents a cylinder or jacket inclosing the furnace, with the pan heated by the furnace and the devices for pulverizing the metal. This cylinder should have its joints ealked with asbestus or some such material, to render it air-tight, both to retain the heat and to preventthe loss of any of the metals volatile under heat. The door A, opening into the operating-chamber, should also be lined around its edges with asbestus paper or some similar substance.

B is the door of the fire-pot section, which has in its lower edge the opening I) for the admission of an air-pipe B, through which air is forced into the furnace and under the fire-potby a blower located in any convenient position. This air-pipe or tuyere may be inserted in any other convenient point in the base of the cylinder where necessary.

B is the exitflue from the furnace, for the passage of the products of combustion, leading into a chimney.

C is the fire-pot or grate, mounted on the furnace C. This frame has two studs or bars 0, extending from the opposite points and projected through the two slots a a in the cylinder A and near its base. A rod D, which terminates in a chain, is attached to each of these studs on their outer ends. The terminal chains of the rods 1) are secured to the round bar or shaft E by the lug c. The shaft E is journaled in the perforations c a in the cylinder A, and extends through the cylinder a little at one side of the center of the cylinder, and projects on each side some distance beyond the wall of the cylinder. One of the ends of this shaft E is squared to engage with a crank, by which it is rotated when it is necessary to raise or lower the fire-pot under the pan.

E E are ratchet-wheels keyed on the shaft E, with which the pawl c, pivoted on the cylinder, engages. The revolutions of the shaft E winds up or unwinds the terminal chain on the rod D, and raises or lowers the fire-pot.

F is a deep circular pan having perpendicular sides, which may be smooth or corrugated, as desired, and a flanged rim seated in the brick-work lining the fire-chamber or furnace. The rim of the pan should be luted to the brick-work and shell of the cylinder with some substance which will not be consumed or cracked by heat, and which will be airtight, to prevent the loss of any of the metals volatile under heat. I have used for that purpose soluble glass; but any other like substance having the necessary properties may be used.

F is a stud or boss in the center of the pan, upon which the shaft ll rests when in operation.

H is a shaft passing through the perforation a in the upper end of the cylinder A, which is provided with a proper stuiling-box to render it air-tight. The shaft II extends above the upper end of the cylinder and through and beyond the spiders O and O 011 the standards 0. A screw-thread his cut on the outer end, and a vertical groove h is cut in the shaft H through nearly its entire length above the cylinder.

I I are arms projecting from the opposite sides of the shaft H, within the operatingchamber, having screw-threads 11 1' cut on them.

K K are gas-pipe Ts with their heads interiorly screw-threaded to engage with the screws on the arms I I. Jam-nuts k 70 hold the Ts in position. The downwardly-extending arm K of the T is internally screwthreaded for the reception of the standard 7, which. is screw-threaded, and at its lower end firmly bolted -to the lifting-plate L. The lifting-plates L L are attached to the two arms I I of the shaft by the arm K of the T and the standard Z. The plate L extends from near the center of the pan to the side. The plate is set at an angle with the bottom of the edge, is of the shapeof the cutting-edge of a plane iron or chisel, and is in contact with the bottom of the pan when in operation.

Z is a spring on the end of the lifting-plate, which is in contact with thebottom and side of the pan, and forces any material in the corner of the pan between the bottom and the sides out of the corner and on the liftingplate. This lifting-plate should be set also with its outer end a little in advance of its inner end, so as to crowd the material a little toward the center. By this construction and inclination of the lifting-plate any material on the bottom of the pan is forced upon and over the rear edge of the plate by the revolution of the plate round the center of the pan. This plate may be wedge-shaped, with its front edge like the cutting-edge of aplane iron, having its under surface in contact with the bottom of the pan, and perform the same office as the inclined plate.

G is a cross-bar sleeved on the shaft II, carrying at its outer end the rod g, which is attached to the front of the shoe M, and the brace g, which is attached to the rear of the shoe. This cross-bar moves freely up and down on the shaft II and allows the shoe to ride over the material in the pan,'crushing and grinding it by its weight. The cross-bar; if required, may be extended on both sides of the shaft II and carry a shoe at both ends. An elongated key-seat is cut in the shaft II, and sct-screws in the bar engage in this keyseat to form the key, and set-screws on the opposite sides form the bearing to hold the arm in place.

M is a shoe attached to the arm G by the rod 9 and brace g. The front endof the shoe is beveled both downward and backwardly, and also inwardly and backwardly, and nearly the whole under surface is in close contact with the bottom of the pan when the pan is empty. Thus constructed, the shoe will ride over any material in the pan and crush and grindit. The material is also thrown to the side of the pan, where itis ground between the edge of the shoe and the side of the pan.

If desired, the bottom of the shoe and the outer side or edge may be notched or serrated to produce a grinding motion, the outer edge or side of the shoe being in close contact with the pan. v

IV is an elongated washer sleeved on the shaft H, resting its lower end on the spider O and supporting-the beveled gear-wheel N when the wheel meshes with the beveled gearwheel R and is in operation.

N is a beveled gear-wheel sleeved on the shaft H above the cylinder. The perforation in the center of the Wheel thro'ughwhich the shaft passes has a feather proj ecting inwardly, which slides in the groove h" in the shaft. This feather rests on the shoulder at the lower end of the groove when the wheel N is out of 1 mesh with the'wheel R.

their upper ends.

Three standards 0 O Oarise from and are solidly bolted at equal distances apart on the upper end of the cylinder. The standards support the spider O, which is bolted to This spider is perforated at its center, and has a journal-box o in the perforation in which the shaftH rotates and moves vertically. Y

O is a spider supported by the standards 0 O and perforated at the center.

P is a nut interiorly screw-threaded, which is screwed on the upper end ofthe shaft H and ordinarily turns wit-h it. It is provided with two levers or handles 19 p on opposite sides. This nut rests on the spider 0. When the rotation of the nut with the shaft is arrested by the operator holding one of the levers p atrest, the shaft continues to turn and is screwed up by the revolution of the beveled gear-wheelN until the gear-wheel is hoisted by the shaft out of mesh with the beveled gear-wheel R.

S S are two standards arising from and bolted securely to the upper end of the cylinder. These standards have at their upper ends the journal-boxes s s, in which the shaft Q is j ournaled.

R is a beveled gear-wheel keyed on the inner' end of the shaft Q, and meshes with the wheel N on the shaft H. T is a driving-pulley keyed on the shaft Q near its outer end, and is drivenby the belt U, which in turn is driven by a pulley or any convenient shaft driven by steam or other power.

T is a loose pulley running on the outer end of the shaft Q as an idler for the belt U.

The process of converting the metal from a solid form to powder by the above-described machine is as follows: The fire being started in the fire-pot, the pan is heated to the melting-point .of the metal to .be reduced. The

metal placed in the pan is melted; or, 'if more convenient, it may be melted in an independent furnace and transferred in a fluid state to the pan. Then the lifting plates and shoes are put in motion and the fluid metal passes up over the lifting-plate and falls over its rear edge and is crushed and ground by the shoes. The temperature of the metal falls and it becomes semi-fluid, and as it passes over the lifting-plate it drops oif in pieces, broken by its own Weight, as its cohesive power is destroyed or held in abeyance by the heat. Then the. shoes pass over and crush and grind these pieces into smaller pieces, and this process goes on as the particles of metal kept at almost a melting-point by the fire in the furnace become smaller and smaller, until these are reduced to powder of the desired fineness, and the mass is allowed to cool. I 1

The product of the above-described machine and process is a powdered metal, which may be used for many purposes and in many. ways, according to the nature of the metals and their various uses in the arts. To facilitate this operation,'powdered mica, sulphate of soda, or some other non-metallicpowder may be spread over the metal in the pan, an inch or two deep, to be removed by a fan or by washing from the powdered metal after the process is completed.

hat I claim as my invention is 1.. In a furnace for reducing metals to pow-- der, the combination of the movable fire-pot for heating the pan with the means for raising and lowering it, and the meltingpan containing the metal to be operated upon, sub- .stantially as set forth.

2. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan with the lifting-plate for lifting and breaking the metal'to be reduced, and the means for moving the plate around in the pan, substantially as set forth. I

3. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan to contain the metal to be reduced with the crushing and grinding shoe moving over the metal in the pan, and the machinery for moving the shoe, substantially as described.

at. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan to contain the metal to be reduced with the crushing and grinding shoe passing over the metal in the pan, the arm supporting the shoe sleeved on the rotating shaft and rotating with the shaft, the rotating shaft, and the means for rotating the shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan to contain the metal to be reduced with the lifting-plate for lifting and breaking the metal, the crushing-and grinding shoe crushingand grinding the metal in the pan, the means for rotating the lifting-plate and the crushingshoe in contact with the pan, all substantially as described. V

6. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan to IIO contain the metal to be reduced with the lifting-plate for lifting and breaking the metal, the crushing-shoe for crushing the metal in the pan, the arms on the rotating shaft carrying the lifting-plate, the arm carrying the shoe sleeved 011 and rotating with the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft, the cylinder forming the operating-chamber, and the means outside the opcrating-chamber for rotating the shaft carrying the lifting-plate and the crushing-shoe, substantially as described.

7. In a furnace for reducing metals to powder, the combination of the melting-pan to contain the metal to be reduced with the lift ing-plate for lifting and breaking the metal, the crushing and breaking shoe for crushing the metal in the pan, the arms on the rotating shaft carrying the lifting-plate, the arm carrying the shoe sleeved in and rotating with the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft, the cylinder forming the operating-chamber,

and the means outside the operating-chamber to rotate the rotating shaft, with the means for raising and lowering the rotating shaft to raise the lifting plate and shoe out of the melting-pan, substantially as described.

8. The process of reducing metals, while under heat, to powder by breaking and grinding, substantially as described.

9. The process of reducing metals to powderby grinding While heated to a high degree of heat, but below the flowing-point of the melted metal.

10. The process of reducing metals to powder by breaking and grinding whileheated to a degree just below the melting-point of the metal. 

